Wife selling - songs, poems etc

Subject: Wife selling
From: GUEST,Barb 9
Date: 13 Oct 15 - 12:13 PM

I hm researching this topic, mostly in England. I can find no songs, poems etc on it. any information very welcome.

Subject: RE: Wife selling
From: Jack Campin
Date: 13 Oct 15 - 12:37 PM

Perhaps a "wives for sale" permathread would help?

Subject: RE: Wife selling - songs, poems etc
From: Richard Mellish
Date: 13 Oct 15 - 01:12 PM

The one that came to my mind straight way was the one concerning John Magee. So I googled that name and "auctioning" and was immediately taken to this earlier thread on the same subject.

Subject: RE: Wife selling - songs, poems etc
From: GUEST,Peterr
Date: 13 Oct 15 - 01:35 PM

A broadsheet to which Jon Raven put a tune to many years ago

This is to give notice that Bandy Leg Lett
Will sell his wife Sally for what he can get
At twelve o'clock certain the sale'll begin
So all you gay fellers be there with your tin'

etc.
Published in 'Kate of Coalbrookdale' 1971. Robbins Music Corporation Ltd

Subject: RE: Wife selling - songs, poems etc
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 13 Oct 15 - 04:15 PM

"Johnny Lad" which I learned from Curmudgeon (Tom Hall) who got it from a Ewan MacColl recording --

"I bought a wife in Dunbar for a bawbee
And then I got a farthing back to buy tobacco wi' "

and

"I Went to Market" (recorded by The Watersons) --

"I went to market to buy a wife, the wife did very well please me
And every time I fed my wife, I fed her all under a tree.
And my wife said 'dammit', the cow went moo, the sheep went baa,
    the pig went (snort), the goose went cackle, the duck went quack,
    the hen went caddle-ca,
Cock went cock-a-cock-a-doodle doo.
And after every farmer's cock did my cock crow."

Just two that came immediately to mind.

Linn

Subject: RE: Wife selling - songs, poems etc
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 13 Oct 15 - 04:54 PM

There are definitely broadsides both in verse and prose. Try the search engine on the Bodleian Ballads website.

Subject: RE: Wife selling - songs, poems etc
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 13 Oct 15 - 05:14 PM

In Praise of John Magee {"I sing in praise of John Magee who was auctioning his wife"} is on the Boys of the Lough's eponymous first album, The Boys of the Lough, 1973, sung by Robin Morton & Cathal McConnell.

≈M≈

Subject: RE: Wife selling - songs, poems etc
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 13 Oct 15 - 05:36 PM

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=134031#3046055

is another previous thread on this topic, {"Does anyone know a wife-selling song?"} with at least two versions of John Magee on it & some other info relevant to here.

≈M≈

Subject: RE: Wife selling - songs, poems etc
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 Oct 15 - 06:58 PM

Here are three interesting excerpts. I wish we could find the entire songs. John Magee is posted in one of the threads crosslinked above, but I haven't found the other ones.

from https://thesession.org/discussions/28318

Selling the Wife
"We all get tired of the wife from time to time, but that doesn't mean you should sell her." Yes it does.

Come all you lads and lasses gay, and banish care and strife,
In the market place, a mason did by auction sell his wife;
Thirteen shilling and a penny - for the lady was the sum,
And to see the curious spree, some thousands soon did run;
In the market place, I do declare, it's true upon my life,
A mason did the other day, by auction sell his wife.

and…

For I sing in praise of John Magee who was auctioning his wife.
She was a hard working woman but the divil all her life.
Neither peace nor contentment this poor man could find,
So a way to get rid of her come into his mind.

and…

"Oh who'll buy a wife?" says Hobbs, John Hobbs
"A sweet pretty wife," says he.
But somehow they tell us,
The wife dealing fellows
Were all of them sellers
And none of them wanted Jane, did they…

# Posted by David Levine 4 years ago.

Subject: RE: Wife selling - songs, poems etc
From: Amos
Date: 13 Oct 15 - 07:45 PM

I don't know about selling, but "The Devil and the Farmer's Wife" makes it clear what a bad bargain it can be to just give one away. She wreaks so much chaos in Hades the farmer gets her back as a bad deal.

Subject: RE: Wife selling - songs, poems etc
From: Jack Campin
Date: 13 Oct 15 - 08:44 PM

I have a scan of a snippet from a newspaper dated October 1, 1921, and bylined from Chicago, about one Joseph Lakazek:

For thirty-five years he was happy with his concertina, but two weeks ago, in an evil moment, he traded it for a wife

and the bit of the story I haven't got scanned says he already regretted the swap and wanted his concertina back.

Subject: RE: Wife selling - songs, poems etc
From: GUEST,Phil Beck
Date: 14 Oct 15 - 01:31 AM

How about John Hobbs who tried unsuccessfully to sell his wife so hung himself.

JOHN HOBBS

A jolly shoemaker John Hobbs, John Hobbs,
A jolly shoemaker was he.
He married Jane Carter,
No damsel looked smarter,
But He's caught a tartar,
Yes, he's caught a tarter, John Hobbs, did he.

He tied a rope to her, John Hobbs, John Hobbs
He tied a rope to her did he,
To 'scape from hot water
To Smithfield he brought her,
But nobody bought her
They all were afraid of Jane Hobbs, were they

"Oh who'll buy a wife?" says Hobbs, John Hobbs
"A sweet pretty wife," says he.
But somehow they tell us,
The wife dealing fellows
Were all of them sellers
And none of them wanted Jane Hobbs, did they

"Oh where is the rope?" says Hobbs, John Hobbs
"Come give me the rope" says he;
"I won't stand to wrangle,
Myself I will strangle,
And hang dingle dangle;"
He died in a tangle, John Hobbs did he.